


Interstate

by Warden_Sigma



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Road Trip, F/F, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-02
Updated: 2016-02-02
Packaged: 2018-05-17 19:51:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5883460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Warden_Sigma/pseuds/Warden_Sigma
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Professional gamer Peridot Nakimura hitches a ride with cosplayer Lapis Kalani-Jones when she misses her flight from Angel City Comic-Con.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Interstate

It was in rare moments like these that Lapis allowed herself to smile.

The bag hoisted over her back was heavy with the weight of her many interests, to the point that she was concerned that the straps would dig into and damage her well-crafted Mercy cosplay.

More importantly, though, is that despite having spent a buttload of money at Angel City Comic-Con, she still had enough for fuel and food for at least another week, two if she was stingy.

She could feel the tell-tale ache of her feet demanding a break. However the ground was not comfortable, and no seats lay nearby.

Well, except in the nearby hall, which was currently hosting a gaming tournament.

With nothing better to do, her feet screaming, and apparently free admission, she decided to take a seat and see what the fuss was all about.

Of course, _finding_ a seat was the hard part. She managed to find a couple close to an exit, but her view was partially blocked and she had the misfortune of sitting next to someone who didn't smell too pleasant and kept looking over her uncomfortably.

Still, at least her feet didn't hurt as much.

She was somewhat surprised to see that, instead of the usual MOBAs, the game played was a shooter, more specifically Overwatch. And odd coincidence, considering her outfit.

Now, Lapis was never one for playing video games more intense than whatever happened to be on a DS variant, but she could tell how fiercely each of the twelve players was fighting. 

She couldn't help but be enthralled.

***

Peridot was winning.

But not by much.

Her mech-suited avatar stomped around the battlefield, searching for enemies to destroy and, more importantly, keep busy. Whenever she found one, she chased after them.

She had fully syncronised with the game, executing complex maneuvers with near-instinct, knowing off by heart where to go and where her opponen-

Her phone buzzed.

She was going to miss her flight.

She immediately snapped out of her zen-like state, and instead panic took over. Her avatar mech was destroyed, then the pilot shot to ribbons. And again. And again.

Peridot desperately tried to get her head back in the game, but couldn't. She could feel her opponents' smirk and her team glaring daggers at her through their avatars. Worse still, she could feel her side of the audience lose all respect for her. 

_Damnit, Peridot, not helping._ She thought, desperately trying to cut off any thoughts not related to winning this damn match.

But it was too late. The enemy team captured all the points, and the final score was displayed. The fact that, despite her screw-up, she was still top of the team helped soften the blow of losing.

And missing her flight home.

As the other team was declared winner, she decided to panic when she was no longer on stage.

"Hey."

Peridot turned to the noise. The leader of her enemy, extending a hand out.

"Good game."

Peridot looked at his hand, then back to him, placing her hand into his. "It was certainly a... challenge." After a quick shake she retracted her hand. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get ready to leave." 

She power-walked to the back of the stage, and the moment the door closed behind her her indifferent visage dropped and she clutched her chest, breathing heavily.

"No no no no NO NO NO NO!" She scrambled to gather her stuff. "Aaagh! Of all the times for this to happen...!"

***

Lapis pulled herself up. Sitting down was good, but the convention was going to wrap up soon and she didn't want to be trapped inside.

She slowly made her way towards the entrance to the Con, the weight of the day just hitting her. She knew where she was parked, and mercifully it was close and cheap.

Just before she passed the threshold of geekery, a panicked shriek called out.

"Hey, Mercy!"

She snapped her head back, and noticed a young woman, nearly a head shorter than her, with messy black hair and thick green glasses, running up to her with a large bag on her back. Lapis pointed to herself, tilting her head in question.

"Yeah, you." She was out of breath. "Can you help me?"

Lapis frowned. She didn't like it when people asked her for help. But, this seemed important. "Fine. What's wrong?"

"I need to get to the airport as soon as possible. I... assume you have a motor vehicle capable of storage?"

Lapis sighed, barely understanding this girl's complicated language. "Yes, I have a van."

"That should be... adequate." The girl smiled. "Well, we shouldn't waste any more time. I'm already late."

Lapis groaned, hefting her bag and marching on to her van, the small woman following her. "Got a name, kid?"

"Peridot Nakimura. I'm 25."

"Didn't need an age."

"You called me 'kid'."

Lapis pulled her keys out of a pocket she had built into her suit and opened up the back of a somewhat-dinged up blue van, and started fiddling with the extraneous gear of her cosplay

"And for the record, that is a well-made rendition of Mercy's outfit. Although, your skin tone-"

Lapis frowned, tossing off the blonde wig and halo, revealing her black, blue-streaked hair. "It's called being Hawaiian."

"I have no problems with that. I'm just questioning why you didn't cosplay as someone closer to your skin tone."

"Stop talking before I leave you stranded here." Lapis tossed in her gear, wearing only the black under-armour. She slammed the rear door shut and unlocked the front doors. "Get in."

Peridot clambered in the passenger seat, her back resting on her lap, and watched Lapis climb in. "So, Mercy, what do I call you?"

"Lapis."

"Interesting name..."

"Nickname." Lapis slammed her door shut. 

"Huh."

Lapis took off at an uncomfortable speed for Peridot. Aside from that, little conversation was made.

***

Lapis pulled up in the parking bay of the airport. "Well, here you are."

"Excellent." Peridot made her way out of the van, but paused half-way. She turned to face Lapis with a slight smile. "Thank you."

Lapis offered her a smile back. "Good luck with your flight."

Peridot leapt out of the van, not once looking back. She couldn't afford the delay.

Not that it did much, because just as she made it to the gates, an announcement sunk her heart like a stone. "Flight UA96 now departing."

"What?!" Peridot screamed. "How is this possible?!"

Blind panic hit her once again. She was way too young to be stranded alone in a metropolis like Angel City. Acting on instinct, she immediately ran back to the parking lot, hoping to all her deceased digital avatars that she wasn't too late.

***

Lapis sighed, resting in the back of her van. "Finally, a moment to get changed into something comfortable..."

She reached for the back of her bodyglove, pulling the zip down until it fell loose around her feet. She flicked the singlet she was wearing to get it loose and not-sticking-to-her-body, and was just about to reach for a comfortable skirt to cover her bright-blue panties when several heavy knocks rang from the back of her van.

She pulled the doors opened, noticing the same short girl from before. " _What?_ "

Peridot blushed furiously, covering her eyes. "Oh God sorry-!"

"Look, unless you left your plane tickets in here, and I know you didn't because I checked-" She slipped the skirt on. "... You shouldn't be here."

"I missed my flight!" Peridot squealed. "I-it was just announced as soon as I got to the foyer... I... I-I panicked and went back here..."

Lapis groaned. "Right... Well, unless you're heading directly to Delmarva, I can't help you. Sorry." She went to close the door, but Peridot flailed and stopped her.

"Wait! That's exactly where I'm going." 

"Right... Well, I'm not gonna do this for free, you know."

"Well, what are you asking for?"

"Half on fuel and full on accomodation, if you don't want to sleep in the van. This isn't negotiable."

Peridot hummed in thought. "I think that is reasonable."

"Good. Now get in."

"Wait," Peridot started, throwing her bag in the back and heading to the passenger seat. "You can't be driving overnight after the con."

"I'm not." Lapis stated, climbing into the driver's seat from inside. "I'll be staying at a hotel tonight, then heading out early in the morning."

"A reasonable plan."

"But first, I need food."

"Hey, uh..." Peridot cleared her throat. "As a formal gesture of thanks, allow me to pay for dinner tonight."

"Well, look at you being all polite and shit." Lapis commented with a hint of sarcasm. "Thanks."

* * *

Lapis forgot how good pizza was.

"Shiny hotel room you got." Peridot scanned the room. "Not big, by any standards, but definitely cleaner than some rooms I've been in."

"Got it for pretty cheap, too." Lapis looked around as well. Aside from the small table in the corner they were sitting at, there was a large double-bed with two nightstands, and an area sectioned off for the bathroom.

It was good that the bed had two blankets.

"Hey, Peridot, you should probably take a shower before we get some sleep."

"Huh?" She sniffed herself. "Hm, probably a good idea."

"Just don't take too long, alright? I'll probably take a while myself."

"Shouldn't be too long." Peridot smiled, pulling herself away from the table and making a straight line for the shower.

Lapis leant back on her chair. This whole event was quite surreal. She would often spend days on end without the company of others, and had grown quickly to it. The only time she talked to anyone was when she was ordering food or discussing her crafting techniques online. But to have another person to talk to, to keep her company as she drove across the entire country, this... this was weird.

As Peridot and her traded places and the calming stream of warm water hit her back, she wondered why it was today of all days that this would happen to her. Perhaps the unexpected windfall of money was more than just sheer dumb luck. Maybe it was fate preparing her for this? Being the nihilist she was, she decided that maybe it was just luck. It made the most sense.

Even then, she wasn't sure if this was even going to be a good thing or not. 

She hoped so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry for any rushed content. I'm tired and I'm gonna be starting sort-of work tomorrow and I need to get into bed real soon.
> 
> Once I get some better sleep going (one thing about a regular job is that I'm forced to correct my sleep schedule) I promise more content. Hell, even if I get kinda-good sleep, there'll be more content.


End file.
